Multi-gbps wireless data communication system for vehicular systems

ABSTRACT

Provided is a method for determining access permission for a beamforming computing device communicating with a beamforming transceiver. The method includes obtaining, at an inter-zone sensor, location information from the beamforming computing device, wherein the inter-zone sensor is configured to monitor a location of the beamforming computing device; determining, by the inter-zone sensor, the location for the beamforming computing device based on the location information as the beamforming computing device nears a boundary between a first access zone and a second access zone; providing, by the inter-zone sensor, the location to a central control system; obtaining, by the inter-zone sensor, a command by the central control system that instructs the inter-zone sensor to communicate access instructions to a beamforming transceiver in the second access zone; and providing the access instructions to the beamforming transceiver.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional application to U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/022,637 filed on Jun. 28, 2018, the disclosure of which ishereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

This disclosure describes a form of secure wireless communication forvehicular systems capable of multi-gigabit per second (GBPS) informationrates.

BACKGROUND

A high-information rate and reliable communication infrastructure fortransportation vehicles is essential to support consumer expectations.In the airline transportation environment, for example, most existingsolutions are wire-based, thereby increasing weight, cost, productioncomplexity, and maintenance burden for in-production, in-service, andretrofit aircraft models. Solutions to problems, such as videosurveillance, security, and aircraft health monitoring, are typicallysegregated and highly decentralized. Existing solutions typically arenot fully integrated to solve the myriad connectivity challenges withinthe aircraft cabin, making it difficult to concurrently monitor,consolidate, and transport data from different sources in a securemanner.

With the evolution of wireless networks, embedded systems, the Internet,and other technologies, there is an ever increasing demand for improvingsystem performance metrics. These metrics include coverage, networkbandwidth, security, and others. The performance metrics impact theoperation of electronic devices employed in various settings, fromcomputing and managing data to online shopping and social networking.These metrics are even more crucial now due to the digitizationoccurring in shared, networked environments, as opposed to traditional,stand-alone personal computers and mobile devices. As a result, datatraffic, and especially wireless data traffic (e.g., 2.4 GHz, 3.6 GHz, 5GHz, 60 GHz, etc.), has experienced exponential growth.

What is needed is a secure wireless transmission system capable ofsupporting high information rates for vehicular systems.

SUMMARY

In accordance with examples of the present disclosure, a secure highfrequency wireless communication system is provided that can comprise aplurality of transceivers, an inter-zone sensor (IZS) system,beam-forming devices, a central database and data processing (CDDP)system, and a Multi-System Gateway (MSG). The CDDP is configured toreceive a security rule definition for each of the plurality oftransceivers; the security rules includes an acceptable angle of arrival(AoA) range and/or signal strength for each transceiver/beamformingdevice pair per zone, permitting the formation of narrow wirelesscommunication beams between the transceivers and beamforming devices, ifappropriate. AoA is a method by which the direction of propagation of aradio-frequency (RF) wave incident on an antenna array can be found.Furthermore, AoA can also be found by sweeping different antennadirections and searching for the maximum signal strength. The IZS isconfigured to determine parameters, such as the angle of arrival (AoA)and/or signal strength to beamforming devices in adjacent zones,especially those close to the zone boundary. For beamforming devicessufficiently close to a zone boundary, if the AoA of the IZS exceeds apredetermined range, the transmission permitted only if allowed by thesecurity rules of the CDDP. Otherwise, the transmission is notpermitted. Furthermore, the MSG, if enabled, permits communication ofinformation to external systems.

Example millimeterWave (mmWave) communication systems may use analogand/or digital beamforming, for example, to compensate for highpath-losses due to poor radio frequency (RF) propagation. In some cases,wireless devices may use beam sweeping procedures to allow the receiverto identify the best transmit beam. The mmWave band includes frequenciesin the electromagnetic spectrum from 30 to 300 GHz. The receiver maythen align its receive beam with the identified best transmit beam.These procedures may be simplified under an assumption of channelreciprocity (e.g., also referred to herein as beam correspondence). Forexample, in time division duplexing (TDD), the channel reciprocityassumption may assume that the uplink and downlink channels areidentical. Since uplink and downlink are assumed identical, the wirelessdevice (e.g., transceiver) may optimize its transmit beams based on anoptimal (e.g., best) receive beam. Similarly, the wireless device mayoptimize its receive beam based on an optimal transmit beam.

In accordance with examples of the present disclosure, a method fordetermining access permissions for a beamforming computing devicecommunicating with a beamforming transceiver is disclosed. The methodcomprises obtaining, at a central control system, location informationfrom an inter-zone sensor, wherein the inter-zone sensor is configuredto monitor and determine a location for the beamforming computing deviceas the beamforming computing device nears a boundary between a firstaccess zone and a second access zone; accessing, by a storage device ofthe central control system, a rule to determine whether the beamformingcomputing device is permitted to operate in the second access zone;determining whether the beamforming computing device is permitted tooperate in the second access zone based on the rule; and executing, by arules engine of the central control system, a first command to theinter-zone sensor to instruct a beamforming transceiver in the secondzone to initiate communication with the beamforming computing device. Insome examples, a computer system including a hardware processor and anon-transitory computer readable medium is disclosed that can beconfigured to perform the method. In some examples, the locationinformation is derived from a signal strength measurement, an angle ofarrival, or both. In some examples, the method can further compriseregistering the beamforming computing device with the rule. In someexamples, the method can further comprise providing a second command thebeamforming transceiver in the second zone to instruct communicationwith the beamforming computing device. In some examples, the beamformingcomputing device and the beamforming transceiver communicate over themmWave frequency band, such as at 60 GHz.

In accordance with examples of the present disclosure, a method fordetermining access permission for a beamforming computing device with atransceiver communicating with a beamforming transceiver is disclosed.The method comprises obtaining, at an inter-zone sensor, locationinformation from the beamforming computing device, wherein theinter-zone sensor is configured to monitor a location of the beamformingcomputing device; determining, by the inter-zone sensor, a location forthe beamforming computing device based on the location information asthe beamforming computing device nears a boundary between a first accesszone and a second access zone; providing, by the inter-zone sensor, thelocation to a central control system; obtaining, by the inter-zonesensor, a command by the central control system that instructs theinter-zone sensor to communicate access instructions to a beamformingtransceiver in the second access zone; and providing the instructions tothe beamforming transceiver. In some examples, a computer systemincluding a hardware processor and a non-transitory computer readablemedium is disclosed that can be configured to perform the method. Insome examples, the location information is derived from a signalstrength measurement, an angle of arrival, or both. In some examples,the instruction is to permit the beamforming computing device tocommunicate with the beamforming transceiver. In some examples, theinstruction is not to permit the beamforming computing device tocommunicate with the beamforming transceiver. In some examples, thebeamforming computing device and the beamforming transceiver communicateover the mmWave frequency band, such as at 60 GHz.

In accordance with examples of the present disclosure, a transportationvehicle is provided. The transportation vehicle comprises an inter-zonesensor configured to define the transportation vehicle into a firstaccess zone and a second access zone; a computer system comprising: ahardware processor; a non-transitory computer readable medium configuredto store operations that when executed by the hardware processor performa method for determining access permission for a beamforming computingdevice communicating with a beamforming transceiver, the methodcomprising: obtaining location information from the beamformingcomputing device, wherein the inter-zone sensor is configured to monitora location of the beamforming computing device; determining the locationfor the beamforming computing device based on the location informationas the beamforming computing device nears a boundary between the firstaccess zone and the second access zone; providing the location to acentral control system; obtaining a command by the central controlsystem that instructs the inter-zone sensor to communicate accessinstructions to a beamforming transceiver in the second access zone; andproviding the access instructions to the beamforming transceiver.

In some examples, the location information is derived from a signalstrength measurement, an angle of arrival, or both. In some examples,the access instructions permit the beamforming computing device tocommunicate with the beamforming transceiver. In some examples, theaccess instructions do not permit the beamforming computing device tocommunicate with the beamforming transceiver. In some examples, thebeamforming computing device and the beamforming transceiver communicateover a millimeter wave band.

In accordance with examples of the present disclosure, a computer systemis provided. The computer system comprises an inter-zone sensor; ahardware processor; a non-transitory computer readable medium configuredto store operations that when executed by the hardware processor performa method for determining access permission for a beamforming computingdevice communicating with a beamforming transceiver, the methodcomprising: obtaining location information from the beamformingcomputing device, wherein the inter-zone sensor is configured to monitora location of the beamforming computing device; determining the locationfor the beamforming computing device based on the location informationas the beamforming computing device nears a boundary between a firstaccess zone and a second access zone; providing the location to acentral control system; obtaining a command by the central controlsystem that instructs the inter-zone sensor to communicate accessinstructions to a beamforming transceiver in the second access zone; andproviding the access instructions to the beamforming transceiver. Insome examples, the location information is derived from a signalstrength measurement, an angle of arrival, or both. In some examples,the access instructions permit the beamforming computing device tocommunicate with the beamforming transceiver. In some examples, theaccess instructions do not permit the beamforming computing device tocommunicate with the beamforming transceiver. In some examples, thebeamforming computing device and the beamforming transceiver communicateover a millimeter wave band.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various features of the embodiments can be more fully appreciated, asthe same become better understood with reference to the followingdetailed description of the embodiments when considered in connectionwith the accompanying figures, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a system 100, according to examples of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 2 shows the angle of arrival (AoA) between a beamforming device anda transceiver, according to examples of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 shows a method 300 for determining access permission for acomputing device with a transceiver communicating in a 60 GHz spectrum,in accordance with examples of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 shows a method 400 for determining access permission for acomputing device with a transceiver communicating in a 60 GHz spectrum,according to examples of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration for a computerdevice 500 that can be used as a component of system 100, which can beused to perform one or more of the processes described above.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to example implementations,illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the samereference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to thesame or like parts. In the following description, reference is made tothe accompanying drawings that form a part thereof, and in which isshown by way of illustration specific exemplary embodiments in which theinvention may be practiced. These embodiments are described insufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice theinvention; it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilizedand that changes may be made without departing from the scope of theinvention. The following description is, therefore, merely exemplary.

Generally speaking, examples of the present disclosure address problemsassociated with environments dealing with the ever-increasing datademands. Environments in the transportation industry tend to have uniqueconsiderations, including but not limited to airlines, trains, buses,cars, ships, etc. In the aviation example, airlines may request dataabout aircraft and passenger information. Aircraft and passengerinformation, which varies with time, can be captured and recordedsecurely and intelligently, decreasing the amount of stored data byconventional methods. Such information can include, but is not limitedto, cabin surveillance and aircraft health monitoring. According toexamples of the present disclosure, the system is also capable oftransmitting and delivery of high definition media to passengers withthe option of additional security layers.

Accordingly, an example of the present disclosure provides a system thatis able to solve the connectivity challenges within vehicles. In anon-limiting example, the system is general enough to simultaneouslysolve a gamut of different needs by providing a multi-gigabit per secondconnectivity backbone for video surveillance systems (capable ofuncompressed high definition video), sensor data gathering systems, andsystems that aid in increasing autonomous vehicular operation. Thepresent system is compatible with both existing and future aircraftmodels. Furthermore, the present system features a point-to-point andhighly directional beam steering and beamforming technology thatfeatures highly directional communication between devices. This resultsin higher security since low range, highly directional beamcharacteristics means devices far away are unable to eavesdrop on datatransmission.

High frequency data transmission (ex: 60 GHz) is desired for manyairplane applications, such as video surveillance. Using a wiredconnection allows for high throughput information transmission but addsweight to the aircraft. A solution to this problem can be via wirelesssystems, but they typically rely on cryptographic techniques to securecommunications. Other challenges include processors overwhelmed bysubstantial data processing as a result of high throughput connections.A general purpose, multi-gigabit per second wireless data transmissionsystem is described. The system has the capability to accommodate agamut of applications including video surveillance, vehicular health,and vehicular autonomous operation for mobile vehicles. Transfer of databetween subsystems can be performed via a tri-band router that includes2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 60 GHz. Depending on the application, a particularfrequency band is used to wirelessly transfer the data to a server foranalysis. In order to reduce the data storage requirement, the serverruns a program that examines data variation over time.

FIG. 1 shows a system 100, in accordance with examples of the presentdisclosure. System 100 provides a secured localized wirelesscommunication system for high frequency transmission by leveraging thepropagation losses associated with high frequency transmission andhighly formed beams. System 100 comprises a central control system, suchas central database and data processor (CDDP) 102 in communication withinter-zone sensor (IZS) 112 for controlling access of devices indifferent communication zones, such as zone 1 108 and zone 2 110, andfor devices moving within and across zones. Zone 1 108 and zone 2 110can be logically or physical separated. CDDP 102 has data regardingpermissible angles of arrival between a transceiver and device. Thedevices are beamforming and beam steering devices that provide a verynarrow transmission beam from transceiver to device.

For example, a space can be divided into a number of different zones.The divisions can be physical divided by rooms or partitions or can belogically divided based on a layout of the space and assignedcoordinates to the boundaries within the space. The boundary parameterscan be stored in CDDP 102 or another physically connected or networkedstorage device or database. In one non-limiting example, an airlineenvironment for example, zone 1 108 can be the cockpit of the plane andzone 2 110 can be the passenger compartment with the cockpit doordefining the boundary between the two zones.

CDDP 102 can comprise a rules engine that is configured to determineaccess privileges for beamforming devices, such as device 114, for aparticular zone, such as zone 1 108 and zone 2 110. Beamforming devicescan be registered with CDDP 102 where identifying information of thebeamforming device and/or the user of the beamforming device can becollected and recorded. The registration process can also access rightsfor the beamforming device for a particular zone. The registrationinformation can be stored with a table or other suitable format in CDDP102 or another connected storage device or database. By one non-limitingexample, device 1 114 and device 2 116 can be registered with CDDP 102.During registration, device 1 114 can be registered by user 1 withpermissions to communicate in both zone 1 108 and zone 2 110 and device2 116 can be registered by user 2 with permissions to communicate inzone 1 108, but not in zone 2 110. These permissions can be stored asrules that can be executed by a rules engine of CDDP 102.

CDDP 102 can communicate with IZS 112, Transceiver Z1 (TZ1) 104, andTransceiver (TZ2) 106 to determine a location of each beamformingdevice, such as device 1 114 and device 2 116. IZS 112 can measureand/or detect one or more parameters to determine the location for eachbeamforming device. For example, the one or more parameters can include,but are not limited to, signal strength, angle of arrival (AoA), orother parameters or combination of parameters that can be derived fromtransmissions of the beamforming devices.

CDDP 102 and/or IZS 112 can communicate with one or more transceiverswithin each zone. Each of the one or more transceivers can be configuredwith an antenna that can be provide beamforming and/or beam steeringcapabilities. For example, the transceiver can be an access point, abase station, a repeater, or a similar networking component. As shown inFIG. 1, the system 100 comprises transceiver (TZ1) 104 in zone 1 108 andtransceiver Z2 (TZ2) 106 in zone 2 110.

Once the beamforming devices are registered with CDDP 102, CDDP 102, inconjunction with IZS 112, can determine whether or not a particularbeamforming device can communicate with a transceiver in a particularzone. By way of example, consider device 1 114 and device 2 116 areregistered with CDDP 102 to user 1 and user 2 respectively. Device 1 114is registered with a rule that device 1 114 can communicate with TZ1 104in zone 1 108 and with TZ2 106 in zone 2 110, both based on an exampleAoA of ±45°. Device 2 116 is registered with a rule that device 2 116can communicate with TZ1 104 in zone 1 108 with an example AoA of ±45°,for illustration, but is not authorized to communicate with TZ2 106 inzone 2 110.

As user 1 approaches the boundary between zone 1 108 and zone 2 110 withdevice 1 114, TZ1 104 can communicate location information to IZS 112 tobegin monitoring the location of device 1 114. Alternatively, IZS 112,using its own antenna or antenna array and controller, can independentlytrack the locations of beamforming devices, such as device 1 114 anddevice 2 116. Once device 1 114 reaches a critical location thresholdparameter, such an example AoA of ±15° as determined by TZ1 104 and/orIZS 112, TZ1 and/or IZS 112 can communicate with CDDP 102 to determineif device 1 114 is permitted to access TZ2 106 in zone 2 110. CDDP 102then engages the rules engine to determine access rights that areregistered with device 1 114. The rules engine can perform a lookup in adatabase or retrieve previously stored information in a storage deviceto locate the specific rule for device 1 114 for operating in zone 2110. In this instance since device 1 114 was registered with a rule thatpermits access to transceivers in zone 2 110, this information isprovided to TZ1 104 and/or IZS 112 to begin monitoring for when device 1114 crosses the boundary to zone 2 110. Additionally, TZ1 104 and/or IZS112 can communicate with TZ2 106 informing TZ2 106 that device 1 114 isnow in or about to cross into zone 2 110 and to begin looking for device1 114. Once device 1 114 is in zone 2 110, device 1 114 communicateswith TZ2 106.

Similarly, as user 2 approaches the boundary between zone 1 108 and zone2 110 with device 2 116, TZ1 104 can communicate location information toIZS 112 to begin monitoring the location of device 2 116. Once device 2116 reaches a critical location threshold parameter, such an example AoAof ±15° as determined by TZ1 104 and/or IZS 112, TZ1 and/or IZS 112 cancommunicate with CDDP 102 to determine if device 2 116 is permitted toaccess TZ2 106 in zone 2 110. CDDP 102 then engages the rules engine todetermine access rights that are registered with device 2 116. The rulesengine can perform a lookup in a database or retrieve previously storedinformation in a storage device to locate the specific rule for device 2116 for operating in zone 2 110. In this instance since device 2 116 wasregistered with a rule that does not permit access to transceivers inzone 2 110, this information is provided to TZ1 104 and/or IZS 112 tobegin monitoring for when device 1 114 crosses the boundary to zone 2110. Additionally, TZ1 104 and/or IZS 112 can communicate with TZ2 106informing TZ2 106 that device 1 114 is now in or about to cross intozone 2 110 and to begin looking for device 2 116. Since device 2 116 isnot permitted to communicate with TZ2 106 in zone 2 110, TZ2 106 willnot respond to transmissions by device 2 116.

In the instance that user 2 crosses back into zone 1 108 with device 2116, TZ2 106 and/or IZS 112 can communicate location information to CDDP102, where CDDP 102 can provide a command to TZ1 104 to permit access todevice 2 116. Alternatively, TZ1 104 may store identifying informationof permitted devices in memory and allow communication with device 2116.

CDDP 102 can communicate with multi-system gateway (MSG) 118. MSG 118can provide connectivity to other systems, including, but are notlimited to, video surveillance systems, vehicular health systems, andvehicular autonomous operation systems for mobile vehicles.

The components of system 100 (CDDP 102, TZ1 104, TZ2 106, IZS 112,device 1 114, and device 2 116) use multi-band wireless technology thatcan each employ multiple (e.g., three) wireless radio components forwireless communications over multiple (e.g., three) wireless bands. Thecomponents of system 100 can dynamically and automatically select achannel at which the system components can wirelessly connect to othercomponents of system 100. TZ1 104 and TZ2 106 functions as a wirelessnetworking device or access point that facilitates communication betweenCDDP 102, IZS 112, device 1 114, device 2 116, and the Internet. In someexamples, the components of system 100 implements and wirelesslycommunicates via the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers(IEEE) 802.11 WLAN standard (e.g., Wi-Fi).

FIG. 2 shows the angle of arrival (AoA) determination 200 between abeamforming device and a transceiver, according to examples of thepresent disclosure. Beamforming device 202, such as device 1 114 ordevice 2 116, comprises an antenna array having antenna components206A-206H. Similarly, transceiver 204, such as TZ1 104 or TZ2 106,comprises an antenna array having antenna components 208A-208H. As anexample shown in FIG. 2, beamforming device 202 is performing datacommunication 210 with transceiver 201 between antenna component 206Aand 208A with an AoA of 90°.

FIG. 3 shows a method 300 for determining access permission for acomputing device communicating with a transceiver in accordance withexamples of the present disclosure. The communication can occur over themmWave frequency band, such as at 60 GHz. The method 200 can begin byobtaining, at 302, at a central control system, location informationfrom an inter-zone sensor. Turning back to the system 100 of FIG. 1, IZS112 is configured to monitor and determine a location for a computingdevice, such as device 1 114 and/or device 2 116, as the computingdevice nears a boundary between a first access zone and a second accesszone, such as a boundary between zone 1 108 and zone 2 110. The method300 continues by accessing, at 304, by a storage device of the centralcontrol system, a rule to determine whether the computing device ispermitted to operate in the second access zone. Continuing with theabove example, CDDP 102 can access a rule for device 1 114 and/or device2 116. The method 300 continues by determining, at 306, whether thecomputing device is permitted to operate in the second access zone basedon the rule. Continuing with the above example, a rule for either device1 114 and/or device 2 116 can be accessed by CDDP 102 that can defineaccess rights for the device for a given zone. The method 300 continuesby executing, at 308, by a rules engine of the central control system, afirst command to the inter-zone sensor to instruct a transceiver in thesecond zone to initiate communication with the computing device.Continuing with the above example, once CDDP 102 accesses a rule for aparticular device, CDDP 102 can provide a command to instruct IZS 112and/or TZ2 106 to initiate communication with device 1 114 once device 1114 enters zone 2 110. If device 1 114 and/or device 2 116 is notalready registered with the CDDP 102, device 1 114 and/or device 2 116can be registered with the rule at 310. In some examples, the method 300can include, at 312, providing a second command to the beamformingtransceiver, e.g., TZ2 106, in the second zone to instruct communicationwith the beamforming computing device, e.g. device 1 114 or device 2116.

FIG. 4 shows a method for determining access permission for a computingdevice communicating with a transceiver, according to examples of thepresent disclosure. The communication can occur over the mmWavefrequency band, such as at 60 GHz. The method 400 can begin byobtaining, at 402, at an inter-zone sensor, location information fromthe computing device. The inter-zone sensor is configured to monitor anddetermine a location for a computing device as the computing devicenears a boundary between a first access zone and a second access zone.Turning again to FIG. 1, IZS 112 can obtain and/or determine locationinformation of device 1 114 and/or device 116.

The method 400 continues by determining, at 404, by the inter-zonesensor, a location for a computing device based on the locationinformation as the computing device nears a boundary between a firstaccess zone and a second access zone. Continuing with the example, IZS112 can obtain and/or determine the location information using a signalstrength measurement and/or AoA from device 1 114 and/or device 2 116.In one non-limiting example, the critical threshold for the AoA can be±15°.

The method 400 continues by providing, at 406, by the inter-zone sensor,the location to a central control system. Continuing with the example,once IZS 112 determines that the signal strength measurement and/or AoAfor device 1 114 and/or device 2 116 reaches a critical threshold, IZS112 can communicate with CDDP 102 to inform CDDP 102 that device 1 114and/or device 2 116 is near the boundary between zone 1 108 and zone 2110.

The method 400 continues by obtaining, at 408, by the inter-zone sensor,a command by the central control system that instructs the inter-zonesensor to communicate access instructions to a transceiver in the secondaccess zone. Continuing with the above example, CDDP 102 can access arule for device 1 114 and/or device 2 116, where the rule defines accessrights for the device for a given zone. Once CDDP 102 applies the rulesengine to determine which rule applies, CDDP 102 communicatesinstructions to IZS 112. In this example, a rule indicates that device 1114 may communicate in zone 2 110, but not device 2 116. Theinstructions obtained from IZS 112 from CDDP 102 can then instruct TZ2106 to begin looking for device 1 114, but not to permit communicationwith device 2 116.

The method 400 continues by providing, at 410, the instructions to thetransceiver. Continuing with the above example, IZS 112 instructs TZ2106 to begin looking for device 1 114, but not to permit communicationwith device 2 116.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration for a computerdevice 500 that can be used as a component of system 100, which can beused to perform one or more of the processes described above. Thecomputer device 500 can be any type of computer devices, such asdesktops, laptops, servers, etc., or mobile devices, such as smarttelephones, tablet computers, cellular telephones, personal digitalassistants, etc. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the computer device 500 caninclude one or more processors 502 of varying core configurations andclock frequencies. The computer device 500 can also include one or morememory devices 504 that serve as a main memory during the operation ofthe computer device 500. For example, during operation, a copy of thesoftware that supports the above-described operations can be stored inthe one or more memory devices 504. The computer device 500 can alsoinclude one or more peripheral interfaces 506, such as keyboards, mice,touchpads, computer screens, touchscreens, etc., for enabling humaninteraction with and manipulation of the computer device 500.

The computer device 500 can also include one or more network interfaces508 for communicating via one or more networks, such as Ethernetadapters, wireless transceivers, or serial network components, forcommunicating over wired or wireless media using protocols. The computerdevice 500 can also include one or more storage device 510 of varyingphysical dimensions and storage capacities, such as flash drives, harddrives, random access memory, etc., for storing data, such as images,files, and program instructions for execution by the one or moreprocessors 502.

Additionally, the computer device 500 can include one or more softwareprograms 512 that enable the functionality described above. The one ormore software programs 512 can include instructions that cause the oneor more processors 502 to perform the processes described herein. Copiesof the one or more software programs 512 can be stored in the one ormore memory devices 504 and/or on the one or more storage devices 510.Likewise, the data utilized by one or more software programs 512 can bestored in the one or more memory devices 504 and/or on the one or morestorage devices 510.

In implementations, the computer device 500 can communicate with otherdevices via a network 516. The other devices can be any types of devicesas described above. The network 516 can be any type of network, such asa local area network, a wide-area network, a virtual private network,the Internet, an intranet, an extranet, a public switched telephonenetwork, an infrared network, a wireless network, and any combinationthereof. The network 516 can support communications using any of avariety of commercially-available protocols, such as TCP/IP, UDP, OSI,FTP, UPnP, NFS, CIFS, AppleTalk, and the like. The network 516 can be,for example, a local area network, a wide-area network, a virtualprivate network, the Internet, an intranet, an extranet, a publicswitched telephone network, an infrared network, a wireless network, andany combination thereof.

The network can include one or more antennas or antenna array, which mayinclude any type of antennas suitable for transmitting and/or receivingwireless communication signals, blocks, frames, transmission streams,packets, messages and/or data. For example, the one or more antennas orantenna array may include any suitable configuration, structure and/orarrangement of one or more antenna elements, components, units,assemblies and/or arrays. The one or more antennas or antenna array mayinclude, for example, antennas suitable for directional communication,e.g., using beamforming techniques. For example, the one or moreantennas or antenna array may include a phased array antenna, a multipleelement antenna, a set of switched beam antennas, and/or the like. Insome embodiments, the one or more antennas or antenna array mayimplement transmit and receive functionalities using separate transmitand receive antenna elements. In some embodiments, the one or moreantennas or antenna array may implement transmit and receivefunctionalities using common and/or integrated transmit/receiveelements. In some examples, the one or more antennas or antenna arraymay communicate over a wireless communication medium and may include awireless communication channel over a 2.4 Gigahertz (GHz) frequencyband, or a 5 GHz frequency band, a mmWave frequency band, e.g., a 60 GHzfrequency band, a S1G band, and/or any other frequency band.

The computer device 500 may include one or more radios includingcircuitry and/or logic to perform wireless communication betweenwireless communication devices. The one or more radios may include oneor more wireless receivers (Rx) including circuitry and/or logic toreceive wireless communication signals, RF signals, frames, blocks,transmission streams, packets, messages, data items, and/or data. Theone or more radios may include one or more wireless transmitters (Tx)including circuitry and/or logic to transmit wireless communicationsignals, RF signals, frames, blocks, transmission streams, packets,messages, data items, and/or data.

In some examples, the one or more radios, transmitter(s), and/orreceiver(s) may include circuitry; logic; Radio Frequency (RF) elements,circuitry and/or logic; baseband elements, circuitry and/or logic;modulation elements, circuitry and/or logic; demodulation elements,circuitry and/or logic; amplifiers; analog to digital and/or digital toanalog converters; filters; and/or the like. For example, the one ormore radios may include or may be implemented as part of a wirelessNetwork Interface Card (NIC), and the like. In some examples, the one ormore radios may be configured to communicate over a 2.4 GHz band, a 5GHz band, a S1G band, a directional band, e.g., an mmWave band, and/orany other band. In some examples, the one or more radios may include, ormay be associated with, the one or more antennas, respectively.

The computer device 500 can include a variety of data stores and othermemory and storage media as discussed above. These can reside in avariety of locations, such as on a storage medium local to (and/orresident in) one or more of the computers or remote from any or all ofthe computers across the network. In some implementations, informationcan reside in a storage-area network (“SAN”) familiar to those skilledin the art. Similarly, any necessary files for performing the functionsattributed to the computers, servers, or other network devices may bestored locally and/or remotely, as appropriate.

In implementations, the components of the computer device 500 asdescribed above need not be enclosed within a single enclosure or evenlocated in close proximity to one another. Those skilled in the art willappreciate that the above-described componentry are examples only, asthe computer device 500 can include any type of hardware componentry,including any necessary accompanying firmware or software, forperforming the disclosed implementations. The computer device 500 canalso be implemented in part or in whole by electronic circuit componentsor processors, such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs)or field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

If implemented in software, the functions can be stored on ortransmitted over a computer-readable medium as one or more instructionsor code. Computer-readable media includes both tangible, non-transitorycomputer storage media and communication media including any medium thatfacilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Astorage media can be any available tangible, non-transitory media thatcan be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not of limitation,such tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media can comprise RAM,ROM, flash memory, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage,magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any othermedium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in theform of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by acomputer. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes CD, laser disc,optical disc, DVD, floppy disk and Blu-ray disc where disks usuallyreproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically withlasers. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readablemedium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website,server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable,twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologiessuch as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiberoptic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such asinfrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium.Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope ofcomputer-readable media.

The foregoing description is illustrative, and variations inconfiguration and implementation can occur by persons skilled in theart. For instance, the various illustrative logics, logical blocks,modules, and circuits described in connection with the embodimentsdisclosed herein can be implemented or performed with a general purposeprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA),cryptographic co-processor, or other programmable logic device, discretegate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or anycombination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein.A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, but, in thealternative, the processor can be any conventional processor,controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor can also beimplemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combinationof a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one ormore microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration.

In one or more exemplary embodiments, the functions described can beimplemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof.For a software implementation, the techniques described herein can beimplemented with modules (e.g., procedures, functions, subprograms,programs, routines, subroutines, modules, software packages, classes,and so on) that perform the functions described herein. A module can becoupled to another module or a hardware circuit by passing and/orreceiving information, data, arguments, parameters, or memory contents.Information, arguments, parameters, data, or the like, can be passed,forwarded, or transmitted using any suitable means including memorysharing, message passing, token passing, network transmission, and thelike. The software codes can be stored in memory units and executed byprocessors. The memory unit can be implemented within the processor orexternal to the processor, in which case it can be communicativelycoupled to the processor via various means as is known in the art.

While the teachings have been described with reference to examples ofthe implementations thereof, those skilled in the art will be able tomake various modifications to the described implementations withoutdeparting from the true spirit and scope. The terms and descriptionsused herein are set forth by way of illustration only and are not meantas limitations. In particular, although the processes have beendescribed by examples, the stages of the processes can be performed in adifferent order than illustrated or simultaneously. Furthermore, to theextent that the terms “including”, “includes”, “having”, “has”, “with”,or variants thereof are used in the detailed description, such terms areintended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising.”As used herein, the terms “one or more of” and “at least one of” withrespect to a listing of items such as, for example, A and B, means Aalone, B alone, or A and B. Further, unless specified otherwise, theterm “set” should be interpreted as “one or more.” Also, the term“couple” or “couples” is intended to mean either an indirect or directconnection. Thus, if a first device couples to a second device, thatconnection can be through a direct connection, or through an indirectconnection via other devices, components, and connections.

Those skilled in the art will be able to make various modifications tothe described embodiments without departing from the true spirit andscope. The terms and descriptions used herein are set forth by way ofillustration only and are not meant as limitations. In particular,although the method has been described by examples, the steps of themethod can be performed in a different order than illustrated orsimultaneously. Those skilled in the art will recognize that these andother variations are possible within the spirit and scope as defined inthe following claims and their equivalents.

The foregoing description of the disclosure, along with its associatedembodiments, has been presented for purposes of illustration only. It isnot exhaustive and does not limit the disclosure to the precise formdisclosed. Those skilled in the art will appreciate from the foregoingdescription that modifications and variations are possible in light ofthe above teachings or may be acquired from practicing the disclosure.For example, the steps described need not be performed in the samesequence discussed or with the same degree of separation. Likewisevarious steps may be omitted, repeated, or combined, as necessary, toachieve the same or similar objectives. Similarly, the systems describedneed not necessarily include all parts described in the embodiments, andmay also include other parts not describe in the embodiments.

Accordingly, the disclosure is not limited to the above-describedembodiments, but instead is defined by the appended claims in light oftheir full scope of equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for determining access permission for abeamforming computing device communicating with a beamformingtransceiver, the method comprising: obtaining, at an inter-zone sensor,location information from the beamforming computing device, wherein theinter-zone sensor is configured to monitor a location of the beamformingcomputing device; determining, by the inter-zone sensor, the locationfor the beamforming computing device based on the location informationas the beamforming computing device nears a boundary between a firstaccess zone and a second access zone; providing, by the inter-zonesensor, the location to a central control system; obtaining, by theinter-zone sensor, a command by the central control system thatinstructs the inter-zone sensor to communicate access instructions to abeamforming transceiver in the second access zone; and providing theaccess instructions to the beamforming transceiver.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the location information is derived from a signalstrength measurement, an angle of arrival, or both.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the access instructions permit the beamformingcomputing device to communicate with the beamforming transceiver.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the access instructions do not permit thebeamforming computing device to communicate with the beamformingtransceiver.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the beamforming computingdevice and the beamforming transceiver communicate over a millimeterwave band.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining is over avehicular wireless network.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein thecommand is based on user permissions established during registration tocommunicate in a particular access zone.
 8. The method of claim 1,wherein the vehicle is an airplane.
 9. The method of claim 1, whereinthe beamforming computing device and the beamforming transceivercommunicate using a tri-band router that comprises 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and60 GHz communication transmission bands.
 10. The method of claim 1,wherein the beamforming transceiver comprises an antenna that isconfigured to perform beam steering.
 11. A transportation vehiclecomprising: an inter-zone sensor configured to define the transportationvehicle into a first access zone and a second access zone; a computersystem comprising: a hardware processor; a non-transitory computerreadable medium configured to store operations that when executed by thehardware processor perform a method for determining access permissionfor a beamforming computing device communicating with a beamformingtransceiver, the method comprising: obtaining location information fromthe beamforming computing device, wherein the inter-zone sensor isconfigured to monitor a location of the beamforming computing device;determining the location for the beamforming computing device based onthe location information as the beamforming computing device nears aboundary between the first access zone and the second access zone;providing the location to a central control system; obtaining a commandby the central control system that instructs the inter-zone sensor tocommunicate access instructions to a beamforming transceiver in thesecond access zone; and providing the access instructions to thebeamforming transceiver.
 12. The transportation vehicle of claim 11,wherein the location information is derived from a signal strengthmeasurement, an angle of arrival, or both.
 13. The transportationvehicle of claim 11, wherein the access instructions permit thebeamforming computing device to communicate with the beamformingtransceiver.
 14. The transportation vehicle of claim 11, wherein theaccess instructions do not permit the beamforming computing device tocommunicate with the beamforming transceiver.
 15. The transportationvehicle of claim 11, wherein the beamforming computing device and thebeamforming transceiver communicate over a millimeter wave band.
 16. Thetransportation vehicle of claim 11, wherein the obtaining is over avehicular wireless network.
 17. The transportation vehicle of claim 11,wherein the command is based on user permissions established duringregistration to communicate in a particular access zone.
 18. Thetransportation vehicle of claim 11, wherein the transportation vehicleis an airplane.
 19. The transportation vehicle of claim 11, wherein thebeamforming computing device and the beamforming transceiver communicateusing a tri-band router that comprises 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 60 GHzcommunication transmission bands.
 20. The transportation vehicle ofclaim 11, wherein the beamforming transceiver comprises an antenna thatis configured to perform beam steering.